WHEREAS, the largest single source of nitrogen oxide (NOx) air pollution in the city, contributing to asthma attacks, is the Wheelabrator Baltimore trash incinerator, the largest trash incinerator in Maryland, which is responsible for 57% of the NOx pollution from Baltimore industry, equivalent to half of the city's cars or half of the city’s trucks; and

WHEREAS, in June 2017, Baltimore City Council has unanimously adopted resolutions calling for city action toward Zero Waste, and a climate change policy that calls for an end to waste incineration; and

WHEREAS, in October 2017, Baltimore City Council unanimously adopted a resolution calling for the state to adopt nitrogen oxide limits for trash incineration equal to the strict limits required for new incinerators; and

WHEREAS, the nation's largest medical waste incinerator, Curtis Bay Energy, also operates in the City of Baltimore, polluting the city further while burning waste from 20 states plus Canada; and

WHEREAS, Baltimore almost ended up hosting a third waste incinerator, Energy Answers, which would have been nation's largest incinerator of any type, burning up to 4,000 tons/day of processed trash, tires, shredded cars and wood waste; and

WHEREAS, incinerators are unnecessary and are the most expensive and polluting way to manage waste or to make energy, and Zero Waste alternatives exist to handle nearly all of the municipal solid waste stream, and all medical waste; and

WHEREAS, Baltimore's incinerators do not use state-of-the-art technology to monitor their health-damaging air pollution, and for most pollutants, are only tested once a year, even though continuous monitoring technology exists, and can be used to report air pollution information real-time to a public website, as the trash incinerator in Montgomery County does; and

WHEREAS, Baltimore residents deserve the best available technology and should have a right to know what's being put into our air;

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the undersigned organization urges Baltimore City Council to adopt the Baltimore Clean Air Ordinance which would require large waste incinerators to:

• use modern technology to continuously monitor their toxic air pollution,• disclose that pollution information on a public website, real-time, for all to see, and• match the most protective air pollution limits that other large waste incinerators in the U.S. and Canada already meet.